Best album you didn’t know about

Purple Pew: The New Funk Translation by Nivlac Retxab

Staff Pick

Calvin Baxter is the nephew of local jazz legend Quentin Baxter, and has been known to sit in for his uncle on Ranky Tanky gigs, but he’s a creative talent in his own right. His pop-R&B project Nivlac Retxab (Calvin Baxter backwards) quietly released a banger of a record last year that the world should know about. Purple Pew: The New Funk Translation makes no apologies for being super Prince-inspired, with its bright purple cover and inclusion of Charleston’s resident Purple One freak, Marcus Amaker. Give this one a listen now at nivlacretxab.bandcamp.com, and thank us later. —Kelly Rae Smith